Target object management system, target object management server, and target object management method

This application is a continuation application based on PCT International Patent Application No. PCT/JP2022/020064, filed on May 12, 2022, which claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2021-081205, filed on May 12, 2021, in the Japan Patent Office. The contents of both the Japanese Patent Application and the PCT Application are incorporated herein by reference.

The present invention relates to a target object management system, a target object management server, and a target object management method.

Priority is claimed on Japanese Patent Application No. 2021-081205, filed May 12, 2021, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference.

In recent years, in the transport of a load or the like, a position of a load, which is a target object to be delivered and moved, is detected to check a transport status (see, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. 2020-136985).

In Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. 2020-136985, a communication system of a low power wide area (LPWA) is used as a communication module.

Then, the LPWA has a very slow transmission speed as compared to a cellular line, such as a 4G line, or a wireless local area network (LAN), but can transmit and receive data in a wide range.

In addition, the LPWA has a characteristic that a frequency bandwidth is also narrow and the consumption of the power is extremely low because a radio wave intensity is weak.

For this reason, it is possible to efficiently detect a position of the target object over a long period by using a small number of access points.

However, as described so far, in a communication device described in Patent Document 1, a reception sensitivity is changed smoothly because the radio wave intensity of the LPWA is weak.

Therefore, it is difficult to estimate the position based on radio wave intensity, and it is possible to determine the presence within a communicable area with the access point. It is not possible to execute accurate position detection, such as where the position within the communicable area is.

In addition, in the LPWA, in a case in which the target object is present between the access point and another access point, it is possible to determine that the target object is present in an area in which the communicable areas of both access points overlap.

However, in a case in which an obstacle is present between the access points, the communication device cannot execute communication with one access point, and can only determine that the target object is present in the communicable area of the other access point.

For this reason, it is not possible to determine in which direction an area in which the target object on which the communication device is mounted is present, with respect to the access point.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and is to provide a target object management system, a target object management server, and a target object management method capable of executing position detection as to which position (location) the target object is within the communicable area of the LPWA.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and a target object management system according to the present invention includes a first device attached to a target object and configured to transmit and receive data to and from an access point in a predetermined first communication range by a communication system of a low power wide area (LPWA), a second device attached to the target object and configured to transmit and receive data to and from a predetermined terminal in a second communication range narrower than the first communication range of the first device by a communication system different from the LPWA, and a management server configured to detect a position of the target object from a first installation position at which the access point is installed and a second installation position at which the terminal is installed. The management server is configured to manage first identification information for identifying the first device and second identification information for identifying the second device in association with each other.

In the target object management system according to the present invention, the second device may be a radio frequency identification (RFID), and the terminal may be a reader/writer.

In the target object management system according to the present invention, the access point may be disposed in each area to be detected, and the terminal may be disposed at a location to be detected in the area.

In the target object management system according to the present invention, the first device may be configured to access a storage unit of the second device, a control information for the first device may be written and stored in the storage unit of the second device, and the first device may read the control information from the storage unit and an operating state of the first device may be changed.

A target object management server according to the present invention is a target object management server in which a first device and a second device are attached to a target object, and an access point configured to transmit and receive data to and from the first device in a predetermined first communication range by a communication system of a low power wide area (LPWA) is connected through an information communication network to a terminal configured to transmit and receive data to and from the second device in a second communication range narrower than the first communication range of the first device by a communication system different from the LPWA, in which the target object management server is configured to manage first identification information for identifying the first device and second identification information for identifying the second device in association with each other, and detect a position of the target object from a first installation position at which the access point is installed and a second installation position at which the terminal is installed.

A target object management method according to the present invention includes a step of, via a first device attached to a target object, transmitting and receiving data to and from an access point in a predetermined first communication range by a communication system of a low power wide area (LPWA), a step of, via a second device attached to the target object, transmitting and receiving data to and from a predetermined terminal in a second communication range narrower than the first communication range of the first device by a communication system different from the LPWA, a step of, via a management server, detecting a position of the target object from a first installation position at which the access point is installed and a second installation position at which the terminal is installed, and a step of, via the management server, managing first identification information for identifying the first device and second identification information for identifying the second device in association with each other.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide the target object management system, the target object management server, and the target object management method capable of executing the position detection as to which position (location) the target object is within the communicable area of the LPWA.

1 FIG. A target object management system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the target object management system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

100 101 102 103 1 103 104 1 104 105 103 1 103 103 104 1 104 104 m n m n A target object management systemincludes a first device, a second device, access points_to_, readers/writers_to_, and a management server (target object management server). Hereinafter, the access points_to_may be collectively referred to as an access point, and the readers/writers_to_may be collectively referred to as a reader/writer.

101 102 103 1 103 104 1 104 105 500 m n The first device, the second device, the access points_to_, the readers/writers_to_, and the management serverare connected to each other through the information communication networkincluding the Internet.

101 200 The first deviceis a communication module by a communication system of an LPWA, and is attached to a target objectas a target of which a position is detected.

101 1014 101 1011 Here, the first deviceas a wireless module is an active system that operates by using the power of a battery (batterydescribed later). The first devicehas an LPWA module (transmission/reception unitdescribed later), such as Sigfox (registered trademark), LoRa (registered trademark), or ZETA (registered trademark). In a case of the communication system of the LPWA, the consumption of the power at the time of transmission and reception is extremely small, and the LPWA is a communication system suitable for executing distant communication of information with a small data size.

In addition, as the LPWA, a plurality of systems are known. Any system may be used. Preferably, a communication system that can execute communication at a reach distance of data over a long distance (distance about from several hundred m to 1 km) is preferable.

102 102 101 104 102 The second deviceis a passive system that operates by using the power of radio waves from the reader/writer. The second deviceis a device having a communication system different from the LPWA of the first device, for example, a radio frequency identifier (RFID) tag. As the communication system of the RFID, it is preferable that data can be transmitted and received by wireless communication over a short distance (several cm to several m depending on a frequency band) using electromagnetic fields, the radio waves, or the like. The reader/writerreads identification information RFID_ID of the RFID tag to detect a position of the RFID tag. In addition, as the second device, a beacon that measures a position of a transmitter by disposing a receiver (terminal) may be used instead of the RFID.

102 In the present embodiment, an example in which the RFID tag is used as the second devicewill be described.

103 1 103 101 301 302 m The access points_to_are base stations in the communication of the LPWA, and specify a position at which the first deviceis present, for example, by using a communicable range (communicable rangesA andA, and the like described later).

101 103 1 103 103 1 103 105 m m That is, in a case in which identification information LPWA_ID (hereinafter, first identification information) of the first deviceis received, the access points_to_transmit the first identification information and access point identification information that is identification information of the access points_to_to the management server.

104 1 104 102 301 302 n The readers/writers_to_are terminals that transmit and receive the data to and from the RFID tag, and specify the position at which the second deviceis present, for example, based on a communicable range (communicable rangesA andA, and the like described later).

102 104 1 104 104 1 104 105 n n That is, in a case in which identification information EFID_ID (hereinafter, second identification information) of the second deviceis received, the readers/writers_to_transmit the second identification information and reader/writer identification information that is identification information of the readers/writers_to_to the management server.

2 FIG.A is a conceptual diagram showing a correspondence relationship between the installation of the access point and the communication distance range of the first device.

2 FIG.B is a conceptual diagram showing a correspondence relationship between the installation of the reader/writer and the communication distance range of the second device.

2 FIG.A 103 103 1 301 1 shows an installation example of the access point. The access point_can execute communication within a range of the communicable rangeA (radius L, for example, 1 km: first communication range).

301 301 103 1 101 103 1 101 301 Since the communicable rangeA includes a building, in a case in which the access point_can transmit and receive the data to and from the first device, the access point_can detect that the first deviceis located in or near the building.

103 2 302 1 Similarly, the access point_can execute communication within a range of the communicable rangeA (radius L, for example, 500 m to 1 km, optionally set depending on the radio wave intensity: first communication range).

302 302 103 2 101 103 2 101 302 Since the communicable rangeA includes a building, in a case in which the access point_can transmit and receive the data to and from the first device, the access point_can detect that the first deviceis located in or near the building.

103 1 103 2 101 301 302 400 103 1 103 2 200 101 301 302 Accordingly, each of the access points_and_detects whether the first deviceis located in the building(for example, a factory building) or the building(for example, a warehouse) disposed in a site (area). That is, each of the access points_and_can detect whether the target object(for example, an industrial product) to which the first deviceis attached is located in the buildingor the building.

2 FIG.B 104 302 104 1 104 2 104 3 104 4 401 2 401 301 302 shows an installation example of the reader/writerin the building(warehouse). Each of the readers/writers_,_,_, and_can execute communication within a range of a communicable rangeA (radius L, for example, 30 cm to 10 m: second communication range). The communicable rangeA is narrower than the communicable rangeA and the communicable rangeA.

2 FIG.B 104 1 200 401 402 1042 200 402 403 1043 200 403 404 104 4 200 404 405 In, for example, the reader/writer_is provided at a gate for transporting the target objectfrom an arrival areato a storage-in-warehouse area. In addition, the reader/writeris provided at agate for transporting the target objectfrom the storage-in-warehouse areato a stock area. The reader/writeris provided at a gate for transporting the target objectfrom the stock areato a delivery-from-warehouse area. The reader/writer_is provided at a gate for transporting the target objectfrom the delivery-from-warehouse areato a shipment area.

102 104 1 200 102 401 402 104 1 200 402 102 104 2 200 102 402 403 104 2 200 403 Accordingly, in a case in which the data is transmitted and received to and from the second device, the reader/writer_detects that the target objectto which the second deviceis attached is transported from the arrival areato the storage-in-warehouse area. That is, the reader/writer_detects that the target objectis located in the storage-in-warehouse area. Similarly, in a case in which the data is transmitted and received to and from the second device, the reader/writer_detects that the target objectto which the second deviceis attached is transported from the storage-in-warehouse areato the stock area. That is, the reader/writer_detects that the target objectis located in the stock area.

102 104 3 200 102 403 404 104 3 200 404 102 104 4 200 102 404 405 104 4 200 405 In addition, in a case in which the data is transmitted and received to and from the second device, the reader/writer_detects that the target objectto which the second deviceis attached is transported from the stock areato the delivery-from-warehouse area. That is, the reader/writer_detects that the target objectis located in the delivery-from-warehouse area. Similarly, in a case in which the data is transmitted and received to and from the second device, the reader/writer_detects that the target objectto which the second deviceis attached is transported from the delivery-from-warehouse areato the shipment area. That is, the reader/writer_detects that the target objectis located in the shipment area.

104 1 104 4 200 402 403 404 405 302 Accordingly, each of the readers/writers_to_can detect whether the target objectis located in, for example, the storage-in-warehouse area, the stock area, the delivery-from-warehouse area, and the shipment areain the warehouse (building).

104 0 401 200 401 In addition, by providing the reader/writer_at a gate for carrying the target object in the arrival area, it is possible to detect that the target objectis located in the arrival area.

1 FIG. 103 105 103 105 Returning to, in a case in which each of the first identification information and the access point identification information is received from the access point, the management serverwrites and stores a first installation position indicating a disposition position of the access pointcorresponding to the first identification information as target object first position information in a management table of the management databaseD.

105 103 In this case, the management serverreads out the first installation position as the position information corresponding to the access point identification information of the access pointby referring to an access point management table (not shown).

104 105 104 105 In addition, in a case in which each of the second identification information and the reader/writer identification information is received from the reader/writer, the management serverwrites and stores a second installation position indicating a disposition position of the reader/writercorresponding to the second identification information as target object second position information in a target object management table of the management databaseD.

105 104 In this case, the management serverreads out first disposition information as the position information corresponding to the access point identification information of the reader/writerby referring to a reader/writer management table (not shown).

200 105 105 200 In addition, in a case in which a user inputs user identification information to the terminal and transmits information requesting the acquisition of the information of the target objectto the management server, the management servernotifies the terminal of the user of the information of the corresponding target object.

105 105 That is, in a case in which the user identification information of the user is supplied from the terminal of the user, the management serverpermits the user to access the target object management table corresponding to the user identification information in the management databaseD.

200 105 105 Then, by inputting the identification information of any one of the first identification information or the second identification information corresponding to the target objectfrom the terminal after the user is permitted to access the target object management table of the management databaseD, the terminal transmits the identification information to the management server.

105 105 In a case in which the identification information of any one of the first identification information or the second identification information is supplied from the terminal of the user, the management servertransmits information of a record corresponding to the identification information in the target object management table in the management databaseD to the terminal of the user.

105 In this case, the management servercombines each of the target object first position information and the target object second position information, combines, for example, an address and a name of the building, including an area and a location, and room information, converts the combined information into position information indicating that the position is in a room on which floor of a building with what name at the shown address, gives a notification to the terminal of the user.

101 105 105 In addition, the user can acquire first device set value information that is information of a set value of the first deviceand a first device operating flag from the target object management table in the management databaseD via the terminal and the management server.

3 FIG. 105 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the target object management table of the management databaseD.

The target object management table is provided for each user, such as a company or an organization, is managed by the user identification information of the user, and cannot be referred to by another user.

In the target object management table, for each record, a column of each of the first identification information, the second identification information, target object information, the target object first position information, the target object second position information, the first device set value information, and the first device operating flag is provided.

101 Here, the first identification information is identification information of the communication module having the system of the LPWA, which is the first device.

102 The second identification information is identification information of the RFID tag that is the second device.

200 The target object information is information indicating a type or the like of the target object, and is, for example, a name or a category of the object that is moved by transport, such as a home appliance, furniture, a marine product, an agricultural product, a mailed item, and a publication.

200 200 Specific exemplary examples of the target objectinclude objects, such as a home appliance, furniture, a marine product, an agricultural product, a mailed item, a publication, or a mechanical component. In addition, exemplary examples of the target objectinclude a storage body, such as a package, a box, or a container in which these objects are stored, and a pallet on which the storage body is placed.

105 103 103 The target object first position information is first disposition information acquired by the management serverusing the access point identification information of the access point, and is position information indicating a predetermined area, such as an address, a business name, or a building name at which the access pointis disposed.

105 104 104 The target object second position information is second disposition information acquired by the management serverbased on the reader/writer identification information of the reader/writer, and is position information indicating a predetermined location, such as a carrying-in gate, a carrying-out gate, or an entrance of a room (what room number on which floor) in which the reader/writeris disposed.

101 The first device set value information indicates a set value related to communication of the communication module having the system of the LPWA, which is the first device, or the like. Exemplary examples of the set value include a length (time, for example, 10 minutes, 1 hour, or the like) of a transmission period, a frequency of the radio waves to be transmitted, and an intensity of the radio waves to be transmitted.

101 101 101 The first device operating flag is a flag indicating whether the first deviceoperates or is stopped (sleep mode), for example, indicates that the first deviceis stopped in a case in which the flag is “1” (in a case in which the flag is raised), and indicates that the first deviceoperates in a case in which the flag is “0” (in a case in which the flag is not raised).

As described above, the first identification information and the second identification information are managed in association with each other in the target object management table.

101 102 200 101 102 Therefore, even in a case in which the user recognizes only the identification information of any one of the first deviceand the second device, the management information of the target objectto which the first deviceand the second deviceare attached as a set can be referred to in the target object management table.

Further, the first installation position of the target object and the second installation position of the target object are combined and stored in the target object management table.

200 For this reason, in a case in which the first installation position of the target object indicates a first warehouse (area at the position) in Yokohama and the second installation position of the target object indicates a carrying-in gate (location at the position) of the stock area, it is possible to detect that the target objectis located in the stock area of the first warehouse in Yokohama by combining the first installation position of the target object and the second installation position of the target object.

1 FIG. 101 1011 1012 1013 1014 Returning to, the first deviceincludes each of the transmission/reception unit(communication module having the system of the LPWA), a control unit, a storage unit, and the battery.

1012 101 103 1011 The control unittransmits the first identification information of the first deviceto the access pointin a predetermined transmission period by using the radio waves of a predetermined wavelength and a predetermined intensity through the transmission/reception unit.

1013 1012 1012 1013 1013 The storage unitstores information, such as the first identification information, the transmission period, the wavelength, and the intensity. In a case in which the control unitexecutes the processing of transmitting the radio waves, the control unitreads out the information, such as the first identification information, the transmission period, the wavelength, and the intensity, by referring to the storage unit. The storage unitis, for example, a non-volatile memory, such as an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM) in which electrical data can be rewritten.

1014 101 1023 The batterysupplies the power required for driving each of the first deviceand a shared area in a storage unitdescribed later.

102 1021 1022 1023 In addition, the second deviceincludes each of a transmission/reception unit(communication module having the communication system of the RFID), a control unit, and a storage unit.

1022 102 104 The control unittransmits the second identification information of the second devicein the transmission and reception of the data to and from the reader/writer.

1023 1012 1012 1023 1013 1023 The storage unitstores the information, such as the second identification information. In a case in which the control unitexecutes the processing of transmitting the radio waves, the control unitreads out information, such as the second identification information, by referring to the storage unit. Similarly to the storage unit, the storage unitis, for example, a non-volatile memory, such as an EEPROM in which electrical data can be rewritten.

1023 101 In addition, the storage unitis provided with a shared storage area that is a storage area in which the first deviceis accessible.

101 104 102 1023 In a case in which the set value to be changed in the first deviceis supplied from the reader/writer, the second devicewrites and stores the supplied set value in the shared storage area of the storage unit. In the shared storage area, for example, an area in which the transmission period, the wavelength, the intensity, and the like are written is set.

101 102 Each of the first deviceand the second deviceis configured to transmit and receive the data by using, for example, an interface, such as an inter integrated circuit (I2C) or a serial peripheral interface (SPI).

1023 102 101 In a case in which the data is written in the shared area of the storage unit, the second devicenotifies the first devicethat the set value is changed.

101 1023 1013 1023 Accordingly, the first devicerefers to numerical values of the transmission period, the wavelength, and the intensity in the shared area of the storage unit, extracts data different from the transmission period, the wavelength, and the intensity stored in the storage unit, and reads out the extracted data from the shared area of the storage unit.

101 1023 1013 Then, the first devicewrites and stores the data read out from the shared area of the storage unitto a corresponding location (storage area for the transmission period, the wavelength, the intensity, and the like) in the storage unit.

101 101 102 As described above, since the set value can only be changed by wire with respect to the first device, the set value written at the time of manufacture and shipment cannot be easily rewritten wirelessly after distribution. The set value of the first devicecan be wirelessly rewritten through the second device.

1023 102 1012 By providing the operating flag indicating whether or not to stop the operation in the shared area of the storage unit, the first device can be optionally made to transition between operation states of the operating state and the stopped state through the second device. Here, the stopped state indicates a power-saving sleep mode, such as reducing an operation frequency of a central processing unit (CPU) inside the control unitwithout transmitting the radio waves.

1023 1022 102 101 In a case in which the operating flag in the shared area of the storage unitis rewritten, the control unitof the second devicenotifies the first devicethat the operation state is changed.

1012 101 1023 1013 1023 Accordingly, the control unitof the first devicerefers to the operating flag in the shared area of the storage unit, compares the operating flag with the operating flag stored at the corresponding location of the storage unit, and rewrites the operating flag to the value of the operating flag in the shared area of the storage unitin a case in which the operating flags are different.

1012 101 101 Then, the control unitof the first devicetransitions the operation state of the first deviceto any one of the operating state or the stopped state according to the operation state indicated by the operating flag.

4 4 FIGS.A andB are conceptual diagrams showing examples of changing the set value of the first device through the second device.

4 FIG.A 1011 101 shows a change in the transmission period of the radio waves of the transmission/reception unitin the first device.

4 FIG.A 1023 102 104 101 1023 In, by writing 30 min (minutes), 5 min, and 1 min as the numerical values (time) of the transmission period in a data area of the transmission period in the shared area of the storage unitof the second deviceby the reader/writer, the first deviceaccesses the shared area of the storage unit.

1012 101 1023 Then, the control unitof the first devicechanges the transmission period (control information) of the radio waves to 30 min, 5 min, 1 min, or the like read from the shared area of the storage unit.

104 104 105 Here, in a case in which the set value is changed, the reader/writertransmits the numerical value of the changed set value together with the second identification information of the reader/writer, which executes writing, to the management server.

105 105 Accordingly, the management serverrewrites the first device set value information in the record of the corresponding second identification information in the target object management table of the management databaseD.

4 FIG.B 101 1023 102 shows the operating state of the first devicebased on rewriting of the operating flag in the storage unitof the second device.

1 1023 102 104 At a time T, the operating flag in the shared area of the storage unitof the second deviceis rewritten from the stopped state (flag is “1”) to the operating state (flag is “0”) by the reader/writer.

3 1023 102 104 In addition, at a time T, the operating flag in the shared area of the storage unitof the second deviceis rewritten from the operating state (flag is “0”) to the stopped state (flag is “1”) by the reader/writer.

101 2 1 3 Accordingly, the first deviceis in the operating state during a time Tbetween the time Tand the time T.

4 1023 102 104 Then, at a time T, the operating flag in the shared area of the storage unitof the second deviceis rewritten from the stopped state (flag is “l”) to the operating state (flag is “0”) by the reader/writer.

101 3 4 Accordingly, the first deviceis in the stopped state during the time between the time Tand the time T.

200 200 101 1014 Here, in a case in which the target objectis stored in the warehouse, the target objectis not moved and it is not required to transmit the radio waves. Therefore, the first deviceis in the stopped state to suppress the consumption of the power from the battery.

2 FIG.B 402 403 104 2 105 1023 102 For example, in, in a case of transport from the storage-in-warehouse areato the stock area, since the reader/writer_transmits the first identification information and the reader/writer identification information to the management serverand then changes the operating state to the stopped state, the operating flag in the storage unitof the second deviceis rewritten from “0” to “1”.

403 404 104 3 105 1023 102 On the other hand, in a case of transport from the stock areato the delivery-from-warehouse area, since the reader/writer_transmits the first identification information and the reader/writer identification information to the management serverand then changes the stopped state to the operating state, the operating flag in the storage unitof the second deviceis rewritten from “1” to “0”.

200 200 1014 1014 In addition, it is possible to detect another moving position of the target object, such as being placed on an airplane or being placed on a ship, and even in a case in which the target objectis not moved from the position, the batteryis in the stopped state in order to suppress the consumption of the power from the battery.

4 FIG.B 200 104 In the operation example ofdescribed above, the processing will be described as processing executed after the first identification information is received in a case in which the target objectpasses through the gate for carrying-in and carrying-out at which the reader/writeris installed.

However, a person in charge may manually carry out the processing at any timing using a portable reader/writer (application of a terminal, such as a smartphone).

104 104 105 Here, in a case in which the operating flag is changed, the reader/writertransmits the numerical value of the changed operating flag together with the second identification information of the reader/writer, which executes writing, to the management server.

105 105 Accordingly, the management serverrewrites the first device operating flag in the record of the corresponding second identification information in the target object management table of the management databaseD.

4 FIG.C 101 104 shows an example in which the first devicetransmits the radio waves at any timing regardless of a period of periodic transmission by the portable reader/writer.

11 12 15 16 11 12 15 16 At each of a time T, a time T, a time T, and a time T, for example, as the set value, the radio waves are transmitted once every 30 min. That is, each time between the time T, the time T, the time T, and the time Tis a time at an interval of the period, for example, 30 min.

14 13 17 1023 104 101 Then, at the time T(for example, 15 min after the time Tin a case in which the time interval of the transmission period is 30 min) or at a time T, by setting a flag for executing radio wave transmission in the shared area of the storage unitby using the reader/writer, it is possible to cause the first deviceto execute interruption transmission of the radio waves.

104 1023 102 In this case, the reader/writerrewrites an interruption transmission flag in the shared area of the storage unitof the second devicefrom “0” to “1”. In a case in which the transmission flag is set to “I”, the interruption transmission is executed.

1022 102 101 1023 The control unitof the second devicenotifies the first devicethat the interruption transmission flag in the shared area of the storage unitis rewritten.

101 1023 Accordingly, the first devicerefers to the interruption transmission flag in the shared area of the storage unit.

1012 101 1011 Then, the control unitof the first devicetransmits the radio waves by using the transmission/reception unitas the interruption transmission.

101 1023 1022 102 In addition, in a case in which the notification is given from the first devicethat the interruption transmission flag in the shared area of the storage unitis referred to, the control unitof the second deviceresets the interruption transmission flag to “0”.

5 FIG. is a flowchart showing an operation example of processing of changing the set value of the first device in the target object management system according to the embodiment of the present invention. In the below description, the second device is configured to generate a one-time password as a password for authentication. A target object management method using the target object management system will be described below.

101 Step S:

104 102 The reader/writertransmits a control signal for transmitting the second identification information to the second devicetogether with a predetermined character string.

105 104 102 The predetermined character string is acquired from the management serverin a case in which the reader/writerrewrites the set value of the first device and executes the authentication of the second device.

1022 102 1023 Accordingly, the control unitof the second devicereads out the second identification information from the storage unitand generates the one-time password from the character string by a predetermined calculation expression.

1022 102 104 1021 Then, the control unitof the second devicetransmits the second identification information and the one-time password to the reader/writerthrough the transmission/reception unit.

104 102 The reader/writerreceives (reads) the second identification information and the one-time password transmitted from the second device.

102 Step S:

104 102 105 102 The reader/writertransmits the second identification information and the one-time password supplied from the second deviceto the management serverto request the authentication of the second device.

105 105 The management serversearches for the second identification information of the second device for which the request is given, by referring to the target object management table of the management databaseD.

105 105 105 Then, in a case in which the second identification information is detected in the target object management table of the management databaseD, the management serververifies true/false of the one-time password by using the predetermined calculation expression and the character string transmitted by the management server.

103 Step S:

105 105 104 In a case in which the second identification information is present in the target object management table of the management databaseD and the one-time password is true, the management serverdetermines that the correct authentication is made (authentication is OK) and transmits the fact that the authentication is OK to the reader/writer.

104 104 Accordingly, the reader/writerproceeds with the processing to step S.

105 105 104 On the other hand, in a case in which the second identification information is not present in the target object management table of the management databaseD or the one-time password is false, the management serverdetermines that the correct authentication is not made (authentication is not OK) and transmits the fact that the authentication is not OK to the reader/writer.

104 102 The reader/writerdisplays a notification on a display screen (not shown) that the second deviceis not a correct device.

4 Accordingly, the person in charge terminates the processing without changing the set value using the reader/writer.

104 Step S:

104 101 1023 102 The reader/writerwrites and stores the set value (for example, a numerical value of a new transmission period) related to the operation of the first devicewhich is input by the person in charge, to the shared area of the storage unitof the second device.

1022 102 101 1023 Then, the control unitof the second devicenotifies the first devicethat the set value is written in the shared area of the storage unit.

105 Step S:

1022 102 102 1023 Further, the control unitof the second devicereads out the second identification information of the second devicefrom the storage unit.

104 101 1023 102 105 The reader/writertransmits the set value (set value related to the operation of the first device) written in the shared area of the storage unitof the second deviceto the management servertogether with the read out second identification information.

105 105 Accordingly, the management serverrewrites the first device set value information in the record corresponding to the second identification information in the target object management table of the management databaseD with the received set value.

106 Step S:

1023 102 1012 101 1023 In a case in which a notification indicating that the set value is written in the shared area of the storage unitis received from the second device, the control unitof the first deviceaccesses and refers to the shared area of the storage unit.

1012 101 1023 Then, the control unitof the first devicereads out the set value written in the shared area of the storage unit.

107 Step S:

1012 101 1023 1013 The control unitof the first devicechanges the set value by overwriting the set value read out from the shared area of the storage unitto a predetermined area in which the set value is written in the storage unit.

108 Step S:

1012 101 101 1013 Then, the control unitof the first devicecontrols the first deviceby the set value read out from the predetermined area in the storage unit.

1012 101 1011 For example, in a case in which the set value is the transmission period and the period width is changed from 10 min to 30 min, the control unitof the first devicechanges the operation such that the transmission/reception unittransmits the radio waves every 30 min, not every 10 min.

200 In the above, the change of the set value is described with the transmission period. However, for example, in a case in which the target objectis transported to another country or the like by a ship or an airplane, the standards in the communication system of the LPWA may be different between the country of departure and the country of arrival, and the frequency band of the usable radio waves may be different.

200 200 For this reason, in a case in which the target objectis carried in the country or a region in which the standards in the communication system of the LPWA are different, the position of the target objectis detected, and the tracking of the transport path is started. Therefore, in a case in which the operating flag is made to transition from “1” to “0” to transmit the radio waves to start or restart position detection processing, it is also possible to change the set value of the wavelength of the radio waves to be transmitted.

A specific procedure of changing a frequency band in the system of the LPWA will be described.

102 104 101 First, the second devicewrites the value related to the position information with the reader/writer, reads the written value related to the position information from the first device, and changes the setting of the communication frequency.

101 101 Since the circuit (beacon) only for transmission is assumed as the first device, the first devicedoes not have a reception function.

From the above, in the present embodiment, in a case in which the frequency band is changed, since a highly functional configuration, such as a listening module, is not required, it is possible to execute handling at a low cost.

200 101 102 In addition, as another configuration example of the present embodiment, an operation may be executed with a function of detecting a state of the environment around the target objectby connecting various sensors (for example, sensors that measure temperature, humidity, altitude, acceleration, magnetic field, chemical substance, gas concentration, and the like) to each of the first deviceand the second device.

200 200 For example, in a case in which the target objectis a package in which fresh food is packaged, the temperature or the humidity in the environment in which the target objectis located can be measured by the sensor and monitored, and whether or not the freshness of the fresh food can be maintained can be determined.

102 1014 101 Since the second deviceis the passive system, a configuration is adopted in which the sensor itself is mounted with the battery or the power is supplied from the batteryof the first device.

1011 1012 101 105 103 1021 102 105 104 Then, the transmission/reception unitmay transmit measured values of a measurement target (for example, temperature, humidity, altitude, acceleration, magnetic field, chemical substance, gas concentration, and the like) acquired by the control unitfrom the sensors connected to the first device, by adding the first identification information, to the management serverthrough the access point. In addition, the transmission/reception unitof the second devicemay transmit the measured values, by adding the second identification information, to the management serverthrough the reader/writer.

1021 1022 102 105 104 1011 101 105 103 Similarly, the transmission/reception unitmay transmit the measured values of the measurement target (for example, temperature, humidity, altitude, acceleration, magnetic field, chemical substance, gas concentration, and the like) acquired by the control unitfrom the sensors connected to the second device, by adding the second identification information, to the management serverthrough the reader/writer, or the transmission/reception unitof the first devicemay transmit the measured values, by adding the first identification information, to the management serverthrough the access point.

200 In addition, the sensors may be configured to detect a voltage or a current. For example, a configuration is adopted in which a loop-shaped wire is formed by a conductor (conductive ink, conductive object, or the like) in an opening portion of the above-described package which is the target object, and the wire is disconnected when the package is opened.

Then, since the normal detection consumes a large amount of the power of the battery, in a predetermined period (for example, 30 minutes, 1 hour, and the like) and a predetermined time (time during which the voltage and the current can be measured, for example, 1 msec (seconds) or 5 msec), by measuring a value of the voltage in the wire or a value of the current flowing through the wire, it is possible to detect whether or not the wire is disconnected and to determine that the package is opened.

101 102 200 101 200 102 200 105 105 200 With the configuration described above, according to the present embodiment, by adding each of the first deviceand the second deviceto one target objectand using the first identification information of the first deviceattached to the target objectand the second identification information of the second deviceattached to the target objectin the target object management table of the management databaseD in conjunction with each other by the management server, it is possible to easily manage the information of the target objectby only using any one identification information.

103 101 104 102 105 200 In addition, according to the present embodiment, by reading out the first installation position in a unit of an area (surface) based on the disposition position of the access pointthat transmits and receives the data to and from the first deviceand the second installation position in a unit of a location (point) unit based on the disposition position of the reader/writerthat transmits and receives the data to and from the second devicein the target object management table of the management databaseD in conjunction each of the first identification information and the second identification information, to combine each of the target object first position information (first installation position) and the target object second position information (second installation position) into one position information, so that it is possible to detect the position at which the target objectis present with high accuracy.

101 1013 101 101 1013 101 1023 102 101 In addition, according to the present embodiment, in a case in which the first devicehas a configuration in which the data can only be written by wire when the set value is written in the predetermined area of the storage unitof the first device(for example, in a case in which the first deviceis ZETA (registered trademark)), it is possible to change the set value in the predetermined area of the storage unitof the first devicethrough the storage unitof the second device. Accordingly, the operation state of the first devicecan be changed at any timing during the transport.

101 1013 101 101 1013 101 1023 102 101 1014 In addition, according to the present embodiment, in a case in which the first devicehas a configuration in which the operating flag can only be rewritten by wire when the information for stopping the operation is written in the operating flag of the storage unitof the first device(for example, in a case in which the first deviceis ZETA (registered trademark)), it is possible to rewrite the operating flag of the storage unitof the first devicethrough the storage unitof the second device. Accordingly, the first devicecan be made to transition between the operating state and the stopped state at any timing during the transport, the consumption of the power of the batterycan be reduced, and the operation time can be easily extended.

101 102 105 101 102 105 1 FIG. It should be noted that a program for realizing each of the functions of the first device, the second device, and the management serverofin the present invention may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, and is recorded on the recording medium, and the program recorded on the recording medium may be read into the computer system and executed to execute processing corresponding to the function of the first device, the function of the second device, and the function of the management server. It should be noted that, here, the term “computer system” includes an operating system (OS) or hardware such as a peripheral device. The term “computer system” also includes a world wide web (WWW) system provided with a homepage providing environment (or display environment). In addition, the term “computer-readable recording medium” refers to a portable medium, such as a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk, a read only memory (ROM), and a compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM), and a storage device, such as a hard disk built in a computer system. Further, the term “computer-readable recording medium” also includes a recording medium that holds a program for a certain time, such as a volatile memory (random access memory (RAM)) inside the computer system that serves as a server or a client in a case in which the program is transmitted through a network, such as the Internet, or a communication line, such as a telephone line.

In addition, the program described above may be transmitted from the computer system in which the program is stored in the storage device or the like to another computer system through a transmission medium or by a transmission wave in the transmission medium. Here, the term “transmission medium” that transmits the program refers to a medium having a function of transmitting information such as a network (communication network), such as the Internet, or a communication line, such as a telephone line. The program described above may be a program for realizing a part of the functions described above. Further, the program described above may be a program, a so-called difference file (difference program) for realizing the functions by a combination with the program already recorded in the computer system.

The embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above with reference to the drawings. The specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and designs and the like are included within the scope of the gist of the present invention.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide the target object management system, the target object management server, and the target object management method capable of executing the position detection as to which position (location) the target object is within the communicable area of the LPWA.